By Yanis Varoufakis
Since the day that the third bail out deal got voted in the Greek parliament, and the coup against our government was completed, I decided to use any powers I had in order to transmit the spirit of the Athens Spring (so hated by the foreign and domestic troika) to the centre of Europe.
I decided to dedicate all my time and energy to that purpose. In practice, that meant to motivate of as many Europeans as possible, within a pan-European network in a common attempt to democratize the European institutions. Such a task requires from me to work tirelessly, to travel constantly and to give many, many speeches.
Predictably, the very media who had undermined with heinous lies a government which was negotiating in Spring -thus bringing back optimism and hope to Greeks- would not pass on the opportunity to slander this newest effort as well.
A publication which, while I was a minister, “honoured” me with lying reports -most imaginative fiction-(i.e. it presented me as a representative of the Βitcoin, allegedly plotting to introduce it to Greece in collaboration with a Singapore conglomeration) , now is doing me the honour of a report concerning the money that I charge for my speeches.
Since this new European network that I am working for (to be formally presented in a short while) demands clarity in every aspect of the public spectrum, I am only too happy to grab the opportunity, given to me by our domestic troika, to demonstrate what this means in reality.
Further down, the reader will be able to see the speeches that I gave in the period beginning at the middle of August till today and those programmed in November. Also mentioned are my rewards as well as the reimbursements of my travel expenses.
Like most academics, for years (decades before I became an MP) I traveled around the world making presentations and giving speeches for no fee. At the same time, I was invited to speak as a professional, for a fee. The size of the fee depended on the budget of those professional institutions as well as the amount of personal interest I held for a specific speech.
The same happens now that I am putting all my energy towards the pan-European network for the transparency and democratization of the European institutions; I dedicate my time into making speeches in every corner of Europe and, sometimes, I accept invitations for paid speeches in order to secure my financial independence from the corrupt private sector.
Below, in List A, the reader will find details regarding 24 speeches that I gave as part of my work for the European political network. In 21 of those I took no money at all, while in only two I accepted a small amount (at the organizers persistence)
The, much shorter, List B, includes the only two cases in which I chose to appear as a professional. I also submit the entire amount of money that I received which is, naturally, subject to taxation in Greece.
Closing, I have a message for the domestic troika and its employees:
Your continuing efforts to spoil my image are a huge gift to me and I thank you for that. Your attacks verify that the Athens Spring, and the feeling of pride that it gave the Greeks, is still bothering you. At the same time, you are helping me think of ways to promote our target for Transparency Everywhere.
So…Transparency Everywhere!
List A
Presentations aiming at the promotion of the pan-European network for the democratization of Europe
August 23, 2015 – Open Gathering at Frangy (France)
Fees received:No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 4, 2015 – OMFIF day of presentations about the Greek economy, London.
Fees received:No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 5, 2015 – Speech at the House of Ambrossetti, Lake Como, Italy
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 12, 2015 – Speech at the Festival de l'humanite'. Paris
Fees received:No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 13, 2015 – Speech at the TUC Conference in Brighton, with the shadow Minister of Finance, John MacDonell, Brighton, England
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 14 2015 (morning) – Speech to the strikers of the London National Gallery
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
September 14, 2015 (noon) – Speech at the Emmanuel Centre of London addressing 1500 Jeremy Corbyn -Leader of the Labour Party – supporters
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
September 24, 2015 -Appearance in BBC's “Question Time”, Cambridge, England
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
September 26, 2015 – Public discussion with Daniel Cohn Bendit at the Le Monde Festival, Paris
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
October 1, 2015 – Speech at the 6th Moscow Biennale
Fees received: 1000 euro
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
October 6, 2015 – Speech at the Volksbühne theatre, Berlin
Fees received: 500 euro
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class
October 15, 2015 – Speech at the Bon Centre, Municipality of Barcelona
Fees received: 1700 euro
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
October 17, 2015 – Speech at the University of Coimbra, Portugal
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
October 22, 2015 – Speech to academic economists, organized by Trinity College Cambridge at the Royal Institute of British Architects, London
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
October 23, 2015 – Speech organized by The Guardian at the Central Westminster Hall, London
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
October 24, 2015 – Speech at the Oxford Union, Oxford University
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
October 25, 2015 – Public discussion with Lord Howard, How To Academy, London
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
October 26, 2015 – Speech at the Cambridge Union, Universtity of Cambridge
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
October 27, 2015 – Public discussion with Professor Hans Werner Sinn, Munich
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
November 3, 2015 – Key speaker at the Financial Times conference along with Martin Wolf
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
November 4, 2015 – Public lecture, University of Vienna, in collaboration with Kreisky Forum
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class.
November 5, 2015 – Opening speech at the Kilkenomics Festival, Ireland
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes, economy class
November 6, 2015 – Speech at the Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: No
November 16, 2015 – Speech at the Royal Festival Hall, London
Fees received: No
Travel expenses: Yes; economy class
List B
Professional, Paid Speeches
September 27, 2015 – Participation at the RAI3 tv show “Che Tempo Che Fa”
Reward: 24000 euro, Italian tax and insurance paid
Travel expenses, Yes, First Class
October 21, 2015 – Speech at Singapore, organized by the Abraaj Foundation, with the participation of the Vice-President of SIngapore
Reward: 28800 euro, subject to Greek tax
Travel expenses: Yes; Business Class